Known packaging machines are aimed at packing articles such as tablets, pills, capsules and the like, in the so-called strip packages or also in the well known blister packages.
The strip packages and the blister pack are then inserted into the boxes of a box-conveyor leading to a machine for placing the blister packs of the strip packages into containers.
In particular, the outlet section of the machine for producing the blister packs or the strip packages releases the products onto a belt conveyors, situated nearby. The packages, coming out of a shearing station, are placed on the conveyor arranged in side by side rows.
Once the strip packages have been released on the belt conveyor, piles of them must be formed. The piles, including two or more strip packages, are then passed to a box-conveyor leading to the container filling machine which introduces the piles into the containers.
When the piles of articles are being introduced into the boxes of the box-conveyor, they must be set at mutual crosswise distances matching the distances of the boxes. This requires another operation to set the piles of articles, or the articles before piling, at the correct distance.
These operations are usually performed by separated devices.
Therefore, the main disadvantage of the known packaging machines results from the fact that complicated and expensive additional devices or machines must be placed in cascade with the strip packages producing machine, for feeding the transferring line of a container filling machine.